Wind-power-generator fan unit and wind power generator

ABSTRACT

There are provided a wind-power-generator fan unit and a wind power generator in which the consumption of driving power for a cooler fan that cools a device provided in the wind power generator can be reduced. This wind-power-generator fan unit includes cooler fans that discharge air in a housing that accommodates devices that perform at least power generation by the rotational operation of rotor blades to the outside of the housing through the devices; and a control unit that controls the operation of the cooler fans on the basis of the temperatures of the devices and the operating states of the devices.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a wind-power-generator fan unit and awind power generator.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, outside air temperatures at which wind power generators areoperated range from −30° C. to +40° C. Therefore, it is necessary tocontrol the temperatures of the internal devices of the wind powergenerators, such as a main bearing, a gearbox, a generator, atransformer, and an inverter, within a standard temperature range.

To perform such temperature control, an oil piping system for a bladepitch system, a gearbox, a main bearing, etc. and a cooling pipingsystem for an inverter etc. are equipped with respective heaters andcoolers as a temperature control system (refer to Patent Document 1).

The coolers are provided with cooler fans for supplying air into thecoolers, and the ON/OFF states of the heaters and the cooler fans areindividually controlled on the basis of set temperatures (for example,refer to Patent Document 1).

{Citation List} {Patent Literature} {PTL 1}

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. Sho 58-065977

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, the method of individually controlling the plurality of coolerfans on the basis of the temperatures of the devices to be cooled, asdescribed above, has the problem of excessive consumption of drivingpower for the cooler fans.

For example, for control based on only the temperatures of the devices,it is difficult to suitably control the driving of the cooler fans, andthe temperatures of the devices go out of controlled temperature ranges,causing overheating or overcooling.

This causes a problem in that larger driving power is supplied to thecooler fans to cool the thus-overheated devices, resulting in largerdriving power. On the other hand, the overcooled state is a state causedwhen the cooler fans continue to cool devices that do not need to becooled. That is, this is a state caused when the cooler fans wastefullyconsume driving power, which causes the problem of excessive consumptionof driving power.

The present invention is made to solve the above-described problems, andit is an object thereof to provide a wind-power-generator fan unit and awind power generator in which the consumption of driving power forcooler fans that cool the devices provided in the wind power generatorcan be reduced.

Solution to Problem

The present invention provides the following solutions to achieve theabove-described objects.

A wind-power-generator fan unit according to a first aspect of thepresent invention includes a cooler fan that discharges air in ahousing, which accommodates a device that performs at least powergeneration by rotational operation of rotor blades, to outside of thehousing through the device; and a control unit that controls operationof the cooler fan on a basis of a temperature of the device and anoperating state of the device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the control unitcan estimate the amount of heat generated in the device from theoperating state of the device. Therefore, the control unit can estimatechanges with time in the temperature of the device, that is, thetemperature gradient of the device, on the basis of the temperature andthe operating state of the device.

By controlling the operation of the cooler fan on the basis of theestimated temperature gradient of the device, the operation of thecooler fan can be suitably controlled as compared with the controlmethod based on only the temperature of the device. For example, a delayin cooling shutdown by the cooler fan, that is, overcooling of thedevice, can be prevented. In other words, unnecessary operation of thecooler fan can be prevented, and thus, the consumption of driving powerfor the cooler fan can be reduced.

Furthermore, a delay in cooling startup by the cooler fan, that is,overheating of the device, can be prevented. In other words, theoperating time of the cooler fan can be reduced, so that the consumptionof driving power by the cooler fan can be reduced.

In the first aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the controlunit be configured to estimate the operating state of the device on abasis of results of measurement by an anemoscope/anemometer thatmeasures a wind direction and a wind speed outside the housing and tocontrol the operation of the cooler fan.

With this configuration, the control unit can ascertain the operatingstate of the device on the basis of the wind direction and the windspeed outside the housing and can estimate the amount of heat generatedin the device.

In the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that thecontrol unit be configured to estimate the operating state of the deviceon a basis of a rotational speed of the rotor blades and a pitch angleof the rotor blades and to control the operation of the cooler fan.

With this configuration, the control unit can ascertain the operatingstate of the device on the basis of the rotational speed of the rotorblades and the pitch angle of the rotor blades and can estimate theamount of heat generated in the device.

In the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that thecontrol unit be configured to estimate the operating state of the deviceon a basis of power output from the device and to control the operationof the cooler fan.

With this configuration, the control unit can ascertain the operatingstate of the device on the basis of the power output from the device andcan estimate the amount of heat generated in the device.

In the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that thecooler fan be provided for each of a plurality of the devices and thatthe control unit control the operation of one of the cooler fans on abasis of the operating state of another of the cooler fans.

A wind-power-generator fan unit according to a second aspect of thepresent invention includes a plurality of cooler fans, for a pluralityof devices that performs at least power generation by rotationaloperation of rotor blades, that discharges air in a housingaccommodating the devices to an outside of the housing through thedevices; and a control unit that controls operation of one of the coolerfans on a basis of a temperature of the device and an operating state ofanother of the cooler fans.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operationof the one of the cooler fans is controlled on the basis of theoperating state of the another of the cooler fans. This can preventreduction in the cooling efficiency of the device, thus reducing theconsumption of driving power for the cooler fan.

For example, in a case where the ratios of the loads of the cooler fansto the devices, that is, the ratios of the air-blowing capacities of thecooler fans to the amounts of heat generated or heat capacities of thedevices, are different, the operation of one of the cooler fans with alow load ratio is controlled on the basis of the operating state ofanother of the cooler fans with a high load ratio. This can reduce aninfluence of the pressure difference (negative pressure) between theinterior and the exterior of the housing caused by the operation of theanother of the cooler fans during the operation of the one of the coolerfans, thereby preventing reduction in the cooling efficiency of the oneof the cooler fans.

Alternatively, by controlling the operation of one of the cooler fanswith a high load ratio on the basis of the operating state of another ofthe cooler fans with a low load ratio, influence of the pressuredifference between the interior and the exterior of the housing causedby the operation of the one of the cooler fans on the operation of theanother of the cooler fans can be reduced, and thus reduction in thecooling efficiency of the another of the cooler fans can be prevented.

A wind power generator according to a third aspect of the presentinvention includes a rotor blade that is driven by wind; a device thatperforms at least power generation by rotational operation of the rotorblade; a housing that accommodates the device in its interior; and awind-power-generator fan unit according to the above-described presentinvention.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since theabove-described wind-power-generator fan unit of the present inventionis provided, the consumption of driving power for the cooler fan of thewind power generator can be reduced.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the wind-power-generator fan unit and the wind powergenerator of the present invention, the control unit can suitablycontrol the operation of a cooler fan as compared with the controlmethod based on only the temperature of a device by estimating changeswith time in the temperature of the device, that is, the temperaturegradient of the device, on the basis of the temperature and operatingstate of the device and by controlling the operation of the cooler fanon the basis of the estimated temperature gradient of the device. Thisoffers the advantage of being capable of reducing the consumption ofdriving power for the cooler fan that cools the device provided in thewind power generator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall view for explaining the configuration of a windpower generator according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of theinterior of a nacelle in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the control of an oil fan, agenerator fan, a transformer fan, and a converter fan in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the control of awind-power-generator fan unit in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a graph for explaining changes in the temperature of agenerator main body in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining another type control of the oilfan, the generator fan, the transformer fan, and the converter fan inFIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining yet another type of control ofthe oil fan, the generator fan, the transformer fan, and the converterfan in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining the control of a wind powergenerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a graph for explaining changes with time in the temperature ofan oil heat exchanger and the control of the oil fan.

FIG. 10 is a graph for explaining changes with time in the temperatureof the generator main body and the control of the generator fan.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

A wind power generator according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 1 is an overall view illustrating the configuration of the windpower generator according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wind power generator 1 performs wind powergeneration. The wind power generator 1 is provided with a tower 2 thatis vertically erected on a base B, a nacelle (housing) 3 mounted on theupper end of the tower 2, a rotor head 4 mounted on the nacelle 3 so asto be rotatable about the substantially horizontal axis thereof, a headcapsule 5 that covers the rotor head 4, a plurality of wind-turbinerotor blades (rotor blades) 6 mounted in a radial pattern about therotation axis of the rotor head 4, a generator equipment 7 thatgenerates electricity by the rotation of the rotor head 4, and ananemoscope/anemometer 9 that measures the wind direction and the windspeed in the vicinity of the wind power generator 1.

Although this embodiment is described when applied to an example inwhich three wind-turbine rotor blades 6 are provided, the number of thewind-turbine rotor blades 6 is not limited to three and may be two ormore than three; it is not particularly limited.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tower 2 has a columnar structure extendingupward (upward in FIG. 1) from the base B, for example, a structure inwhich a plurality of units are connected in the vertical direction. Thenacelle 3 is provided at the uppermost portion of the tower 2. In thecase where the tower 2 is constituted of the plurality of units, thenacelle 3 is mounted on the uppermost unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, the nacelle 3 rotatably supports the rotor head 4and accommodates, in the interior thereof, generator equipment 7 thatgenerates electricity by the rotation of the rotor head 4. Furthermore,an air intake port 8 that introduces outside air into the nacelle 3 isprovided at the lower part at the front of the nacelle 3, that is, onthe rotor head 4 side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotor head 4 is fitted with the plurality ofwind-turbine rotor blades 6 extending in a radial pattern about therotation axis, and the periphery is covered with a head capsule 5.

The rotor head 4 is provided with a pitch control unit (not shown) thatrotates the wind-turbine rotor blades 6 about the axis of thewind-turbine rotor blades 6 to change the pitch angle of thewind-turbine rotor blades 6.

Thus, when wind blows against the wind-turbine rotor blades 6 from thedirection of the rotation axis of the rotor head 4, a force that rotatesthe rotor head 4 about the rotation axis is generated at thewind-turbine rotor blades 6 to rotationally drive the rotor head 4.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of theinterior of the nacelle in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the generator equipment 7 accommodated in thenacelle 3 is provided with a main bearing 11 that rotatably supports amain shaft (not shown) that transmits the rotational driving force ofthe rotor head 4 to the generator 14, a gearbox 12 that accelerates therotation of the rotor head 4 and transmits it to the generator 14, anoil cooler 13 that cools oil used for lubrication of the main bearing 11and the gearbox 12, the generator 14 that generates electricity usingthe transmitted rotational driving force, a transformer 15 that controlsthe voltage of the generated electricity, and a converter 16 thatcontrols the frequency.

The oil cooler 13 cools the lubricant oil that has become hot bylubricating the interior of the main bearing 11 and the gearbox 12.

The oil cooler 13 is provided with an oil heat exchanger (device) 21that radiates the heat of the lubricant oil, an oil fan (cooler fan) 22that supplies air into the oil heat exchanger 21, and an oil pipe 23through which the lubricant oil circulates between the main bearing 11and the oil heat exchanger 21, or between the gearbox 12 and the oilheat exchanger 21.

The generator 14 is provided with a generator main body (device) 31 thatgenerates electricity, a generator fan (cooler fan) 32 that introducesair into the generator main body 31, and a generator duct 33 that guidesthe air introduced into the generator 14 to the outside of the nacelle3.

The generator main body 31, the generator fan 32, and the generator duct33 may be known ones and are not particularly limited.

The transformer 15 is provided with a transformer main body (device) 41that converts the voltage and an opening 42 and a transformer fan(cooler fan) 43 for circulating air through the transformer main body41.

The transformer main body 41, the opening, and the transformer fan 43may be known ones and are not particularly limited.

The converter 16 is disposed at the rear (the right in FIG. 2) in thenacelle 3 and on a floor surface F of the nacelle 3.

The converter 16 is provided with a converter main body (device) 51 thatconverts the frequency and a converter fan (cooler fan) 52 that coolsthe converter main body 51.

The converter main body 51 is disposed in front (at the left in FIG. 2)of the converter fan unit 52 and on the floor surface F of the nacelle3, in other words, in front of the converter fan unit 52 in thedirection of the rotation axis L of a converter fan 54 in the converterfan unit 52.

The converter main body 51 may be known one and is not particularlylimited.

The anemoscope/anemometer 9 measures the wind direction and the windspeed outside the nacelle 3. The anemoscope/anemometer 9 is disposed atthe tip of a rod member disposed on the top face of the nacelle 3 behindthe rotor blades 6 (at the left in FIG. 2) and extending upward (upwardin FIG. 2) from the nacelle 3.

The wind direction and the wind speed measured by theanemoscope/anemometer 9 are output to a control unit 76, to be describedbelow.

The anemoscope/anemometer 9 may be disposed either on the top face ofthe nacelle 3, as described above, or on a tower provided separatelyfrom the wind power generator 1; it is not particularly limited. Themethod of disposing the anemoscope/anemometer 9 on the separate tower issuitable for application to a wind farm equipped with a plurality of thewind power generators 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the control of the oil fan, thegenerator fan, the transformer fan, and the converter fan in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wind power generator 1 is further provided witha wind-power-generator fan unit 71 including an oil temperature sensor72; a generator temperature sensor 73; a transformer temperature sensor74; a converter temperature sensor 75; a control unit 76 that controlsthe oil fan 22, the generator fan 32, the transformer fan 43, and theconverter fan 52 (hereinafter referred to as “oil fan 22 etc.”); the oilfan 22; the generator fan 32; the transformer fan 43; and the converterfan 52.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the oil temperature sensor 72 is a sensorthat measures the temperature of the oil heat exchanger 21 of the oilcooler 13. The temperature of the oil heat exchanger 21 measured by theoil temperature sensor 72 is output to the control unit 76.

The generator temperature sensor 73 is a sensor that measures thetemperature of the generator main body 31 of the generator 14. Thetemperature of the generator main body 31 measured by the generatortemperature sensor 73 is output to the control unit 76.

The transformer temperature sensor 74 is a sensor that measures thetemperature of the transformer main body 41 of the transformer 15. Thetemperature of the transformer main body 41 measured by the transformertemperature sensor 74 is output to the control unit 76.

The converter temperature sensor 75 is a sensor that measures thetemperature of the converter main body 51 of the converter 16. Thetemperature of the converter main body 51 measured by the convertertemperature sensor 75 is output to the control unit 76.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the control unit 76 controls the oil fan 22etc. on the basis of the temperatures of the oil heat exchanger 21, thegenerator main body 31, the transformer main body 41, and the convertermain body 51 (hereinafter referred to as “oil heat exchanger 21 etc.”)and the wind direction and the wind speed outside the nacelle 3.

The control unit 76 is provided with an operating-state estimatingsection 77 that estimates the operating state of the wind powergenerator 1, a temperature estimating section 78 that estimates thetemperature gradients of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc., and a fancontrol section 79 that outputs control signals for the oil fan 22 etc.

The operating-state estimating section 77 estimates the percentages offull capacity of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. by estimating theoperating state of the wind power generator 1 on the basis of the winddirection and the wind speed input from the anemoscope/anemometer 9.

The temperature estimating section 78 estimates the temperaturegradients of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. on the basis of thepercentages of full capacity of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. estimatedby the operating-state estimating section 77 and the temperatures of theoil heat exchanger 21 etc. input from the oil temperature sensor 72, thegenerator temperature sensor 73, and the transformer temperature sensor74.

The fan control section 79 outputs control signals for the oil fan 22etc. on the basis of the temperature gradients of the oil heat exchanger21 etc. estimated by the temperature estimating section 78.

Next, a method for generating electricity with the wind power generator1 having the above-described configuration will be described in outline.

With the wind power generator 1, the force of the wind that blowsagainst the wind-turbine rotor blades 6 from the direction of therotation axis of the rotor head 4 is converted to a motive power torotate the rotor head 4 about the rotation axis.

The rotation of the rotor head 4 is transmitted to the generatorequipment 7, and the generator equipment 7 generates electric powermatching an object to which the electric power is to be supplied, forexample, alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz.

Here, to allow the wind force to effectively act on the wind-turbinerotor blades at least during power generation, the rotor head 4 isturned windward by appropriately rotating the nacelle 3 on a horizontalplane.

Next, the control of the wind-power-generator fan unit 71, which is afeature of this embodiment, will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the control of thewind-power-generator fan unit in FIG. 3

As shown in FIG. 4, the wind direction and the wind speed outside thenacelle 3 measured by the anemoscope/anemometer 9 are input to thecontrol unit 76 of the wind-power-generator fan unit 71 (step S1).

The operating-state estimating section 77 of the control unit 76estimates the percentages of full capacity of the oil heat exchanger 21etc. on the basis of the input-wind direction and wind speed (step S2).The estimation of the percentages of full capacity may be performed onthe basis of either a data map that is stored in the operating-stateestimating section 77 in advance or a calculation expression; it is notparticularly limited.

After the percentages of full capacity of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc.have been estimated, next, the temperature gradients of the oil heatexchanger 21 etc. plotted against time are estimated by the temperatureestimating section 78 (step S3).

For example, the temperature gradient of the oil heat exchanger 21 isestimated on the basis of the temperature of the oil heat exchanger 21input from the oil temperature sensor 72, the amount of heat generatedin the oil heat exchanger 21 corresponding to the percentage of fullcapacity, and the operating state of the oil fan 22. The amount of heatcorresponding to the percentage of full capacity stored in thetemperature estimating section 78 in advance is used as the amount ofheat generated in the oil heat exchanger 21.

The temperature gradients of the generator main body 31, the transformermain body 41, and the converter main body 51 are also estimated by thetemperature estimating section 78 as in the same way as in the case ofthe oil heat exchanger 21.

The fan control section 79 outputs control signals for controlling theoperation of the oil fan 22 etc. on the basis of the temperaturegradients of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. estimated by the temperatureestimating section 78 (step S4).

FIG. 5 is a graph for explaining changes in the temperature of thegenerator main body in FIG. 2.

For example, the case where the operation of the generator fan 32 iscontrolled will be described. As indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5,the fan control section 79 outputs an ON signal or an OFF signal todrive or stop the generator fan 32 on the basis of the temperature andthe temperature gradient of the generator main body 31 so that thetemperature of the generator main body 31 falls within a predeterminedtemperature range (T0 to T1 in FIG. 5).

Such control allows the temperature of the generator main body 31 tofall within the predetermined range, as compared with the case ofcontrolling the generator fan 32 on the basis of only the temperature ofthe generator main body 31, as indicated by the dotted line.

With the above-described configuration, the control unit 76 can estimatethe amounts of heat generated in the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. byestimating the operating states of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. on thebasis of the wind direction and the wind speed outside the nacelle 3.This allows the control unit 76 to further estimate changes with time inthe temperatures of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc., that is, thetemperature gradients of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. on the basis ofthe temperatures of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. measured by the oilfan 22 etc.

The control of the operation of the oil fan 22 etc. based on theestimated temperature gradients of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. allowsthe operation of the oil fan 22 etc. to be appropriately controlled ascompared with the method of control based on only the temperatures ofthe oil heat exchanger 21 etc., thereby preventing excessive consumptionof driving power for the oil fan 22 etc. that cool the oil heatexchanger 21 etc. provided in the wind power generator 1.

For example, a delay in cooling shutdown of the oil fan 22 etc., thatis, overcooling of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc., can be prevented. Inother words, unnecessary operation of the oil fan 22 etc. can beprevented, and thus, the consumption of driving power for the oil fan 22etc. can be reduced.

Furthermore, a delay in cooling startup of the oil fan 22 etc., that is,overheating of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc., can be prevented. Inother words, the operating time of the oil fan 22 etc. can be reduced,and thus, the consumption of driving power by the oil fan 22 etc. can bereduced.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining another type of control of theoil fan, the generator fan, the transformer fan, and the converter fanin FIG. 3.

As described above, the oil fan 22 etc. may be controlled on the basisof the anemoscope/anemometer 9 and the results of measurement by the oiltemperature sensor 72 etc., or alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, theoil fan 22 etc. may be controlled on the basis of the rotational speedof the wind-turbine rotor blades 6, the pitch angle of the wind-turbinerotor blades 6, and the results of measurement by the oil temperaturesensor 72 etc.; it is not particularly limited.

The rotational speed of the wind-turbine rotor blades 6 can be measuredby measuring the rotation of the rotor head 4 or the main shaft. Thepitch angle of the wind-turbine rotor blades 6 may be obtained bydirectly measuring the pitch angle of the wind-turbine rotor blades 6 orby detecting the output of the above-described pitch control unit; it isnot particularly limited.

This allows the operating states of the oil fan 22 etc. to beascertained without the use of the anemoscope/anemometer 9, thuspermitting estimation of the amounts of heat generated in the oil fan 22etc.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining yet another type of control ofthe oil fan, the generator fan, the transformer fan, and the converterfan in FIG. 3.

As described above, the oil fan 22 etc. may be controlled on the basisof the anemoscope/anemometer 9 and the results of measurement by the oiltemperature sensor 72 etc., or alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, theoil fan 22 etc. may be controlled on the basis of power output from thegenerator main body 31 and the results of measurement by the oiltemperature sensor 72 etc.; it is not particularly limited.

This allows the operating states of the oil fan 22 etc. to beascertained without the use of the anemoscope/anemometer 9, thuspermitting estimation of the amounts of heat generated in the oil fan 22etc.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

The basic configuration of the wind power generator of this embodimentis the same as that of the first embodiment but differs from the firstembodiment in the method for controlling the wind-power-generator fanunit. Therefore, in this embodiment, only the control of thewind-power-generator fan unit will be described with reference to FIGS.8 to 10, and descriptions of the other components will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining the control of the wind powergenerator of this embodiment.

The same components as those in the first embodiment are given the samereference signs and their descriptions will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, a wind-power-generator fan unit 171 of a wind powergenerator 101 of this embodiment is provided with the oil temperaturesensor 72, the generator temperature sensor 73, the transformertemperature sensor 74, the converter temperature sensor 75, a controlunit 176 that controls the oil fan 22 etc., the oil fan 22, thegenerator fan 32, the transformer fan 43, and the converter fan 52.

Here, the oil fan 22 is a fan having a larger capacity than the otherfans, and the generator fan 32 and the transformer fan 43 are fanshaving a smaller capacity than the other fans. The converter fan 52 is afan having an intermediate capacity between the oil fan 22 and both thegenerator fan 32 and the transformer fan 43.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 176 controls the oil fan 22 etc. onthe basis of the temperatures of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. and thewind direction and the wind speed outside the nacelle 3.

The control unit 76 is provided with the operating-state estimatingsection 77 that estimates the operating state of the wind powergenerator 1, the temperature estimating section 78 that estimates thetemperature gradients of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc., and a fancontrol section 179 that outputs control signals for the oil fan 22 etc.

Next, the control of the wind-power-generator fan unit 171, which is afeature of this embodiment, will be described.

The wind direction and the wind speed outside the nacelle 3 measured bythe anemoscope/anemometer 9 are input to the control unit 176 of thewind-power-generator fan unit 171. Since the following processes up tothe estimation of the temperature gradients of the oil heat exchanger 21etc. plotted against time are the same as those of the first embodiment,their descriptions will be omitted.

The fan control section 179 controls the fans 22, 32, 42, and 52 on thebasis of the estimated temperature gradients and the operating states ofthe fans 22, 32, 42, and 52, respectively.

The control of the oil fan 22 having a higher capacity than the otherfans and the generator fan 32 having a smaller capacity than the otherfans will be described below by way of example.

FIG. 9 is a graph for explaining changes with time in the temperature ofthe oil heat exchanger and the control of the oil fan. FIG. 10 is agraph for explaining changes with time in the temperature of thegenerator main body and the control of the generator fan.

Ta1 in FIG. 9 denotes the temperature of the oil heat exchanger 21 andthe startup temperature of the oil fan 22, and Ta2 denotes the shutdowntemperature of the oil fan 22. Tb1 in FIG. 10 denotes the temperature ofthe generator main body 31 and the startup temperature of the generatorfan 32, and Tb2 denotes the shutdown temperature of the generator fan32.

Since the temperatures of the oil heat exchanger 21 and the generatormain body 31 during the period from time t10 to t11 in FIGS. 9 and 10are lower than the startup temperatures (Ta1 and Tb1) and higher thanthe shutdown temperatures (Ta2 and Tb2) of the fans, respectively, theoil fan 22 and the generator fan 32 are stopped (OFF).

Thereafter, during the period from time t11 to t12, the oil fan 22 isoperated (ON) because the temperature of the oil heat exchanger 21reaches the fan startup temperature (Ta1). On the other hand, thegenerator fan 32 maintains stopped (OFF) because the temperature of thegenerator main body 31 is lower than the fan startup temperature (Tb1).

The temperature of the oil heat exchanger 21 drops because it is cooledby the oil fan 22.

During the period from time t12 to t13, the generator fan 32 is operated(ON) because the temperature of the generator main body 31 reaches thefan startup temperature (Ta1). On the other hand, the fan controlsection 179 shuts down the oil fan 22 (OFF) even if the temperature ishigher than the fan shutdown temperature (Ta2).

Therefore, the temperature of the generator main body 31 drops becausethe generator main body 31 is cooled by the generator fan 32. On theother hand, the temperature of the oil heat exchanger 21 rises becausethe cooling by the oil fan 22 is stopped.

The temperature of the generator main body 31 drops faster than the oilheat exchanger 21 because its heat capacity is smaller than that of theoil heat exchanger 21.

From time t13 on, the generator fan 32 is stopped (OFF) because thetemperature of the generator main body 31 becomes lower than the fanshutdown temperature (Tb2). On the other hand, the operation of the oilheat exchanger 21 is started up (ON) in correspondence with the shutdownof the generator fan 32 because the oil heat exchanger 21 has beenstopped, with its temperature being higher than the fan shutdowntemperature (Ta2).

With the above-described configuration, the operation of one of the oilfan 22 etc. is controlled on the basis of the operating state of anotherfan. This can prevent reduction in the cooling efficiency of the oilheat exchanger 21 etc. due to the oil fan 22 etc. and can reduce theconsumption of driving power for the oil fan 22 etc.

In a case where the ratios of loads of the oil fan 22 etc. to the oilheat exchanger 21 etc., that is, the ratios of the air-blowingcapacities of the oil fan 22 etc., to the amounts of heat generated orheat capacities of the oil heat exchanger 21 etc. are individuallydifferent, for example, the operation of the generator fan 32 with a lowload ratio is controlled on the basis of the operating state of the oilfan 22 with a high load ratio. This can reduce the influence of thepressure difference (negative pressure) between the interior and theexterior of the nacelle 3 caused by the operation of the oil fan 22during the operation of the generator fan 32, thereby preventingreduction of the cooling efficiency of the generator fan 32.

Alternatively, by controlling the operation of the oil fan 22 with ahigh load ratio on the basis of the operating state of the generator fan32 with a low load ratio, the influence of the pressure differencebetween the interior and the exterior of the nacelle 3 caused by theoperation of the oil fan 22 on the operation of the generator fan 32 canbe reduced, and thus reduction of the cooling efficiency of thegenerator fan 32 can be prevented.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to theabove-described embodiments, and various modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1, 101: wind power generator-   3: nacelle (housing)-   6: wind-turbine rotor blade (rotor blade)-   9: anemoscope/anemometer-   21: oil heat exchanger (device)-   22: oil fan (cooler fan)-   31: generator main body (device)-   32: generator fan (cooler fan)-   41: transformer main body (device)-   43: transformer fan (cooler fan)-   51: converter main body (device)-   52: converter fan (cooler fan)-   71, 171: wind-power-generator fan unit-   76, 176: control unit

1. A wind-power-generator fan unit comprising: a cooler fan thatdischarges air in a housing, which accommodates a device that performsat least power generation by rotational operation of rotor blades, to anoutside of the housing through the device; and a control unit thatcontrols operation of the cooler fan on a basis of a temperature of thedevice and an operating state of the device.
 2. The wind-power-generatorfan unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit estimates theoperating state of the device on a basis of results of measurement by ananemoscope/anemometer that measures a wind direction and a wind speedoutside the housing and controls the operation of the cooler fan.
 3. Thewind-power-generator fan unit according to claim 1, wherein the controlunit estimates the operating state of the device on a basis of arotational speed of the rotor blades and a pitch angle of the rotorblades and controls the operation of the cooler fan.
 4. Thewind-power-generator fan unit according to claim 1, wherein the controlunit estimates the operating state of the device on a basis of poweroutput from the device and controls the operation of the cooler fan. 5.The wind-power-generator fan unit according to claim 1, wherein thecooler fan is provided for each of a plurality of the devices; and thecontrol unit controls the operation of one of the cooler fans on a basisof the operating state of another of the cooler fans.
 6. Awind-power-generator fan unit comprising: a plurality of cooler fans,for a plurality of devices that performs at least power generation byrotational operation of rotor blades, that discharges air in a housingaccommodating the devices to an outside of the housing through thedevices; and a control unit that controls operation of one of the coolerfans on a basis of a temperature of the device and an operating state ofanother of the cooler fans.
 7. A wind power generator comprising: arotor blade that is driven by wind; a device that performs at leastpower generation by rotational operation of the rotor blade; a housingthat accommodates the device in an interior thereof; and awind-power-generator fan unit according to claim 1.